Roses & Jewelry
by Settiai
Summary: Love triangles have their perks. :: Lindsey/Tara, Spike/Tara


Title: Roses Jewelry

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG-13

Explanation: This is my story for the Valentine's Day Fluffython on LiveJournal, and it was written for remember-nomore.

Summary: Love triangles have their perks.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

* * *

_Three months after the death of Buffy Summers, her friends attempted to use dark magic in order to bring her back to life. The spell was interrupted by the unexpected presence of a demonic gang, however, and any chance of reviving the Slayer was lost. The fact that she was dead soon became common knowledge, and demonic beings began moving to the Hellmouth in droves once again. _

Humans then started leaving the town of Sunnydale, slowly at first and then at a faster pace. Even those who had lived there for years without noticing any suspicious activities whatsoever were forced into seeing that **something** was going on around them. Within two months, only those who were foolhardy or suicidal remained.

And, since the deceased Slayer's friends didn't fit into either of those categories, they left the Hellmouth.

Rupert Giles had already left for England before they fled Sunnydale, but the other six remaining members of the so-called "Scooby Gang" - Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Anya Jenkins, Tara Maclay, Dawn Summers, and Spike - made their way to the city of Los Angeles. They made their way to the Hyperion Hotel and convinced a reluctant Angel to let them stay.

Many things happened during the next few months. Xander and Anya were married soon after their flight from Sunnydale, and a few weeks later Darla gave birth to Connor, Angel's son. Charles Gunn and Fred Burkle began dating, and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce found a false prophesy that would have resulted in his stealing Connor, if Willow hadn't convinced him that it wasn't true. Everything seemed to be going fairly well.

Then the Groosalugg showed up.

By that point, Xander and Anya had bid their friends reluctant farewells before leaving for San Francisco, and the sixteen-year-old Dawn had been legally adopted by William Smith - who was, according to the expensive fake paperwork Spike had "found," her cousin. Also, by that time, Willow and Tara's relationship had been rocky at best. Ever since her failure to bring Buffy back to life, the red-haired witch had been pushing away from everything and everyone that had ever meant anything to her.

But then he came searching for Cordelia.

Cordelia had shown some interest toward him, but it had been obvious to everyone that the seer's attentions were entirely focused on Angel. Willow, on the other hand, seemed to transform overnight. One day she was the cold and quiet woman they had all grown to know, and the next she was the bouncy girl who had disappeared months before.

Tara had known that there was something between Willow and the Groosalugg, but she always forced herself to see it as nothing but friendship. Even though she knew her lover had been interested in men in the past, she knew that had ended with Oz. Or, at least, she thought that it had.

Willow kissed her one night as they prepared for bed and told her that she would love her forever, no matter what. Tara went to sleep that night with a smile on her face and hope in her heart that things might be going back to normal.

But when Tara woke up the next morning, she discovered that both Groo and Willow had disappeared in the night.

Not much had changed in the two years that have passed since then, at least not in Tara's eyes. Connor still had enough surrogate aunts and uncles to fill a football team, and even Xander and Anya would come to visit him every month or two. Willow would call once in awhile, sending letters from far-off lands… and always ending them with "I still love you, Tara."

But Tara wasn't sure if she still loved Willow. Or even if she still loved only women.

* * *

"During our last seven dates, you somehow forgot to mention that you used to work for Wolfram Hart," Tara said dryly.

Lindsey McDonald shook his head, raising his eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair. "How did you find that out?"

"A few friends of mine saw you picking me up last night," she replied while she reached out and picked up her drink from the table. "Angel says 'hi' and that he's going to kill you if he sees you again."

Lindsey blinked before reaching behind his back and pulling out a small bouquet of red roses. "Does that mean you don't want these?" he asked.

Tara shook her head as she took another sip of her drink and laid it back on the table. "I didn't say that," she answered. "I'm just telling you not to forget that I'm still a witch, and I'll make your life very painful if you're using me to get to any of my friends."

"So you want the flowers?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She merely smiled.

* * *

"I wouldn't come any closer to the Hyperion," Tara whispered as she gently kissed Lindsey once last time. "I think that they were serious about killing you."

"Probably," Lindsey agreed, a wry grin on his face.

She pulled away and gave him a slight wave before heading towards the hotel. "I'll see you tomorrow," she called out softly.

Tara kept on walking, and she only stopped when she caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye. She let out a gasp as Spike stepped out of the shadows, a small box clutched in his hands

"What are you trying to do?" she hissed. "Give me a heart attack?"

Spike merely shrugged and handed her the box. "Thought I'd give you a quick Valentines Day present. Seemed appropriate with Red not being here again."

Tara stared at him for a second before carefully lifting the lid off of the box. Inside was a silver necklace, a delicate heart-shaped charm hanging from it. She stared at the necklace for several seconds, a baffled expression on her face. Then she looked up and met his gaze.

"I don't understand," Tara whispered.

Spike merely shrugged. "Cordy's been telling me about this Lindsey McDonald that you've been seeing," he said. "I didn't like what I heard, so-"

He was cut off abruptly as she suddenly leaned over and planted a quick peck on his lips. "Thank you for taking the trouble," she said softly as she pulled away. "And I mean that."

"It wasn't any trouble," he replied after a moment's pause. "And **I** mean that."

They both trailed off into silence for several seconds. "Think he'd be interested in a threesome?" Spike suddenly asked, a curious tone in his voice.

Tara merely stared at him. "My life keeps get stranger and stranger," she muttered as she started walking on toward the Hyperion.

"That wasn't an answer!" he called out from behind her.

She merely smiled.


End file.
